Getting organized with post its

So I am going back to school. My administration convinced me that I need to go into administration in the future. They are thinking near future, I'm thinking a little father on.  I'm definitely not done teaching!

Starting this journey is terrifying and leaves me feeling just slightly out of control. In order to combat that I've reorganized a few things, including my planning book.   

Here's what it looked before.

Not terrible, I know, but in order to feel more inner calm I need to have things in my life look and feel neat. Plus my boxes were just a tad too small and I kept having to cut the post its to make it fit. Annoying. 

This is what I spent 30 minutes creating the other day. 

Just look how beautiful! I also took out those old conference boxes because I wasn't utilizing them very well. Instead I'll just write in the space as needed. 

The printing seemed a bit ridiculous at first, but I love how neat it is and it makes my happy. Happy=calm. Calm=less anxiety. 

It's actually very easy. I created a word document with boxes that fit my post its. I just put them on and slide it through the printer! 

Here are a few tips: 

1) Make sure that the sticky side is at the top so it goes through first. This is important so your post its don't lift up and jam your printer. 

2) Before you put your paper through, press it flat. Run your hand from the top to the bottom. This will help so the sides don't accidentally lift. 

I have free printable a of these going up on my TpT. Check it out! 

Wonder

It is my third year teaching Wonder by R.J. Palacio to my students.  This year I am taking it a step further with my Honors class.

Currently I'm creating a plan to allow them to create their own school wide project to spread the idea of "Choose Kind."

I'm terrified to tell you the truth.  THEY will come up with the idea, plan it, and implement it.  SOUNDS TERRIFYING!!!!!!  I keep telling myself that this is my Honors class, what can go wrong?  But it's stepping back and letting them take control.  They need it, but I am a control freak and this is a bit much.

I am going to embrace it and hope to document my success and failures over the next few weeks.

First, we will be making book trailers for Wonder and then we'll begin our journey.  AHHH!

Wish me luck and look forward to more excitement here to come!

Bulletin Boards

I spent some time working on my bulletin boards today.  I feel like I'm starting to get things going and my room will begin to come together eventually.

Goals Board

This isn't technically a bulletin board.  It's a built-in cabinet, but I started covering it like it was one last year since it's just plain grey and I wanted it to pop a bit more. 

On the left side are my classroom goals.  The first is really our rules, but I think those can be looked at as very reachable goals.  Then under it I have two goals that I really want to permeate my class: Read 30 Books, and Read Different Genres.  I give students 15 minutes each day (even though sometimes it just eats away at my teaching time) to read their own books.  We spend time talking about their books, writing about their books, and presenting their books.  

On the right side will be our Unit Goals.  This is where I'll display the standards for the unit that we're working on.  Currently I don't have any up, but I did just purchase some cute, already made ones from TPT. Here is the link for the product.

My Desk

Again, not a board, but I'm going to use this as my own reading log.  I require the students to keep a reading log that I can check, so I figure it's only fair that they be able to see mine.  I'll print out pictures of the books I'm reading and post them up.  **Please pay no attention to the top of my desk... it'll be a mess until a few days before school, and then be back to the same mess again within a week.  I'm coming to terms with it.

The Bane of My Existence...Or The Recommendation Board

I hate this board.  It's tall and I hate changing it more than anything.  I never know what to do with it, even when I know what I want to use it for, I never know how to get it to work the way I want it to.  So here is what it is for now.

My Book Recommendation Board.  I bought these on VistaPrint.

If students want to share a book with their students they can fill one of these out, turn it in, and after I check it for appropriateness I'll put it up.  Right now the board has "Best Book Project" posters from last years sixth grade on it.  I'm hoping that after the first couple of weeks I can take those down and start replacing with these post cards.

If I like it and it works out well, I'll purchase some cloth that's long enough to cover this board and then I'll never have to recover it again!!

Homework Board/Tickets

Nothing too exciting here, except for my new ticket pockets!  I've used tickets in the past for good behavrio, rewards, etc.  Then they could buy things from me.  That was too much of a hassle for 120 kids...  So I'm changing it up.  I'll still give out tickets (probably not so many) and at the end of each class period they can put their name on it and at the end of the period deposit their ticket in the pocket.  Randomly I'll pull a name out for a prize of some sort.  In addition I'll allow them to purchase a few things: get rid of a yellow card (behavior card), get rid of a tardy, a Royal Pass, or a Please Leave Me Alone Pass.  They each cost different amounts so they might have to save up for awhile if they really want one.

Jobs/Attendance/Specials Rotation

Still in need of a lot, but I'm unable to do much until I get class lists...which will be the week before school, if I'm lucky! 

So much more left to do, but I'm feeling good about what I've done so far!

Updated Guidelines

Not too much different from a week ago, but I added some information and some clip art to help fill in the pages a little bit.  I'm hoping this will be better than my plain old boring guidelines!

The Teacher Binder

So I promised some pictures of my teacher binder and here they are! 

**Remember, I'm still building this and it will probably change as we get closer to school and then throughout the school year as well.

Calendars

- I have a monthly calendar and it's broken into sections.  I've purposefully left the dates off so I can print out the same thing next year and just enter in the correct dates.

- I've broken up my tabs into two-three months section.

 These are my planning pages. Obviously I'll probably have to tweak them a bit when I get my teaching schedule, but I made the boxes large enough for small post-it notes, which I think will be the way that I go this year.  I'm so tired to erasing and rewriting plans due to assemblies, early dismissal days (I always seem to forget) or other things.

 

I actually have this "Looking Ahead"  section first. 

Planning Notes

I have sections for Class Lists, Ideas, Meeting Information (any notes that we get at in-service meetings) and RTI/IEP information for students.

I already have some notes in my binder for the things that I want to work on this summer and ideas for bulletin boards, classroom set up, and more!

 That's my start so far and I need to update my tabs.  I used some old ones that I had left over from the years past.

Tomorrow is my day that I spend up at school helping with our summer lunch program.  Not sure what I will get finished, but I'm working on making the seat covers for my crate seats.  I found this on Pinterest, so I can't take credit for it, but it's a great idea.  I'll try and post some pictures as soon as they're finished.

Organizing, Planning, and Reviews!

SUMMER ORGANIZATION TOOLS
I stopped by Target for a few random things today and amazingly I walked out with much more than I had planned on buying.

Look at these!  They were in the dollar section!  I was really excited to find them and bought ten of them.  There were some bright green ones as well, but I am sticking with black.  I haven't decided yet what to use them for, but I know one of them will be used for pulling names.  I'm still brainstorming other ideas. 

I also picked up a few different note pads and pens and pencils for my reward box.  I love Target.

SUMMER PLANNING EXTRAVAGANZA
This week my plan is to set up by teacher binder as much as possible.  Obviously I can't really put this together.  For one, I won't have finalized class lists until a few days before school.  Also, I don't know what my teaching schedule will be yet.  So I want to be able to tweak things, but have a good solid basis for my teacher binder before we get there.  Then I can just fill it all in as I go along.   I'll try and post some pics of it as it begins to take shape over the next few days.

I also want to buy and make my crate seats.  Although I haven't seen crates at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond.  I did find them at Office Max, but they were $8 each and I didn't want to spend that much.  I'm going to Walmart tomorrow to see if they have them in.  I think I might have to wait a month or so, though.   I hope not.  I have plans man!!


READING UPDATE
I just finished Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel last night.  (Stayed up until midnight to finish it!)  I'll be honest, at first I thought I would be dragging myself through this book, but after the first couple of chapters I was hooked.  Half Brother explores animal experimentation and our responsibility to animals as humans through the eyes of a young teenage boy whose parents are scientists.  As part of an experiment, his parents bring home a baby chimp to be raised in their home as a part of their family.  I was very appreciative of the way Oppel had Ben questioning his parents, his friends, his mentor, and himself throughout the novel.  It was believable, just as believable as the relationship that forms between Ben and his "half brother" Zan.   I definitely recommend this book.  I think it's one that my students will really enjoy as well and I'm looking forward to sharing it with them.